


Something Happening Here

by ohnoscarlett



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Come play, Double Penetration, F/M, M/M, Multi, Threesome, girl!Louis, girl!Zayn, halilou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 09:56:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4055704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohnoscarlett/pseuds/ohnoscarlett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis, Harry, and Liam are not as subtle as they think they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Happening Here

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MyaLuv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyaLuv/gifts).



> The prompt: "fem!Louis, fem!Zayn, male everyone else. Louis/Liam/Harry. Niall/Zayn. "In which Louis/Harry/Liam are not as subtle as they think they are."
> 
> I hope you like it, honey. It got really dirty there in the middle, I'm so sorry.

Zayn knew it was to her advantage that Lou had taken to staying out til all hours, or disappearing in the middle of the night to go who-knows-where. Well, Zayn knew, and so did Niall if the smirk on his face when he crept into her bed was anything to say. At least Zayn and Niall got plenty of time alone, and she didn’t have to exile her roommate to get it.

Lou had a boyfriend.

That’s where it got a little confusing. It was possible that Lou had _two_ boyfriends. She’d been hanging around this one guy quite a bit of late. They were in the same program, and Liam seemed to have been struggling in one of the classes they shared. Lou was sharp, and quick to offer to study together. Zayn hadn’t blamed her; she saw Liam in the gym more often than not as she dragged her lazy arse to practice. He’d either be running on a treadmill or lacing up boxing gloves. 

He was well fit indeed.

It made sense to Zayn that Lou would hook up with Liam. They had a lot in common. As members of the gymnastics team, Zayn and Lou spent a _lot_ of time in the gym. Lou didn’t mind so much, but Zayn often had to be dragged in by her hair. Smiles from the lads as they passed was a fair motivator too.

Liam lived with this lad called Harry. He was a photography student, and apparently Lou met him waiting for time in the dark room. She’d got a fancy camera from her dad after the divorce—meant as a way to keep in touch—so she’d taken a class to figure it out. It came out quick that he was mates with Liam, and soon the three of them were thick as thieves. In fact, Zayn was just as likely to spot Lou out with either one of them. Or find them in their room.

Speaking of which…

“Oi! Jesus, my eyes!” Lou shrieked as she flung the door open. Zayn lazily flicked the edge of the blanket a little further over Niall. “Don’t you two have the decency to go shag in _his_ room?” Lou cursed, bumping into nearly everything as she tried to make her way to her desk with a hand over her eyes.

“Can’t,” Niall helpfully put in. “Roommate’s studying.”

“Course he is,” Lou muttered, scrabbling through the detritus with a determined look on her face, triumphant when she grasped something in her fist and bolted for the door. “Ugh, Ni. If I ever see your white arse again it will be too soon, mate.”

Niall’s cackling followed her out the door.

“Wonder what that was all about,” Zayn mumbled against Niall’s bare shoulder.

“Condom,” Niall stated definitively. Zayn jerked and shoved him hard enough to have him flailing onto the floor.

“Fuck _off!_ ” she yelped, eyes wide.

“What I saw, love,” Niall replied with a grin. “Warnt none of yours at least.”

Zayn just pursed her lips and scowled.

***

“Who’s the lucky one?” Zayn asked distractedly, half-heartedly flipping pages of her massive copy of Norton’s Anthology of English Literature. It wasn’t a required text for any of her classes that term, but the translation of “Beowulf” in this volume was her favorite, often reread.

Lou merely hummed in response. She scribbled furiously into her notebook, lists of figures stretching across the page like inky soldiers Lou struggled to keep in line. Zayn sighed at her train of thought; she had been immersed too deep in her compositions lately. She spun around in her chair and kicked at Lou.

“Which of those lads you shagging?” Zayn pressed, continuing to nudge at Lou’s chair with her toe.

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” Lou declared imperiously.

“Right,” Zayn rolled her eyes. “I’m talking to _you_ , you slag.”

“I’m not a slag!” Lou shouted suddenly, pushing back from her desk and startling Zayn so she had to clutch at her chair for fear of falling. “I can see two lads if I want! It’s not hurting anyone!”

“Ok,” Zayn said softly and carefully.

“Jesus, Zayn,” Lou said, raking a hand through her hair, “didn’t think you’d be one to judge.”

“I’m not!” she replied quickly, hands up innocently. “Just want to know, like. Want to know what’s going on in your life.”

“What, you want details?” Lou asked, still bristling.

“Not particularly,” Zayn said, a smile slowly creeping across her face. “But—“

“Careful.”

“Liam’s well fit,” Zayn offered.

“He is,” Lou said, softening a bit. “He’s…eager.”

Her eyes flashed mischievously and Zayn grinned.

“Harry?”

“Fucking filthy,” Lou sighed, throwing herself on her bed. “Ugh, Zayn, you have no idea.”

“You met Niall?” They both giggled, and Lou buried her face in her pillow.

“How did this happen, Zayn?” Lou groaned piteously.

“You can date as many lads as you like,” she said reassuringly.

“No, you don’t—“ Lou clutched her pillow and squeezed it around her head. “It’s—you don’t understand.”

“So tell me.”

“It’s both of them,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“No, it’s _both of them_ ,” Lou emphasized carefully. “Both of them at the same time.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Zayn replied with a shrug.

“No,” Lou practically shouted, her body tense and rigid atop her mattress. “We’re all—“

“Oh shit,” Zayn clapped a hand over her mouth before any giggles escaped. “Are you having a _threesome?_ ” she whispered through her fingers.

Lou simply met her eyes and nodded.

It was like the room exploded.

Zayn leaped from her desk and landed on top of Lou, who yelped and bashed at her with the pillow. Their neighbors would probably toss them in for all the noise they made, laughing and shrieking “ _oh my god!_ ” at the top of their lungs. Luckily, one of their neighbors was just Niall.

“Hey,” he poked his head cautiously around the door. Zayn was famously moody, and while he felt the need to check in, he didn’t want to risk her bad side.

“Not now!” Zayn shouted, twisting Lou’s arm behind her back. Niall’s eyes widened with alarm. Zayn flapped a hand at him. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Lou squirmed free and grasped Zayn’s wrist.

“ _Zayn!_ ” she hissed.

“What?” Lou made a face that was supposed to clarify her meaning, until Zayn’s eyebrows drew together and Lou scoffed.

“I don’t really want the whole world to—“

“Aw, it’s just Niall,” Zayn shrugged.

“What, I’m not your whole world, darlin’?” he teased.

Zayn stole Lou’s pillow and threw it at him.

“We’ll talk about it _later_ , I said. Now fuck off, man.”

Lou relaxed as the door closed.

***

“ _Tell me_ , she said. I just—“ Lou sighed and wiggled anxiously until Liam and Harry pressed closer.

They sat on Liam’s bed—neater—while Lou told them of her afternoon with Zayn. The boys had a right to know that they weren’t as secret as they thought they were.

“It’s alright, love,” Harry said, rubbing his cheek atop her head like a cat. “Wasn’t really a secret.”

“Just because we weren’t telling anyone doesn’t mean it was secret,” Liam added. Lou squinted dubiously.

“I don’t think that word means what you think it means, Li,” she said softly. Harry snorted and cuddled closer.

“An untold truth then,” Liam suggested.

“Is this—“ Lou hesitated, “I mean, is this something…”

Liam’s face scrunched up adorably, but Harry took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Is this ‘something’ a relationship? Is that what you’re trying to say?” he asked, blessedly to the point for once. Lou shrugged and bit her lip.

“Oh, Lou,” Liam tugged until she slid mostly onto his lap and curled into his chest. Harry closed the space, his arms long enough to wrap around both of them.

“It’s not like we just fell into bed once, and that’s the beginning and end of it,” Harry said, big hand rubbing circles on her back.

“I just—“ Lou heaved a wavery sigh and tried to bury her head in Liam’s neck.

“It’s alright, love,” Liam said softly, echoing Harry’s earlier words and patting her on the bum. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Could shout from the rooftops if you like,” Harry added, smirking at Liam before pressing his lips to Lou’s shoulder.

“You’re just teasing me now,” she sniffed.

“Little bit,” Harry admitted, trailing kisses up a wandering path to behind her ear.

“ _Liam_ ,” Lou whined, looking for sympathy.

“Hush now, babe,” he shushed gently, patting her with one hand while pinching at Harry with the other. Harry squirmed, scraping his teeth along Lou’s skin and making her shiver. “Let us—“

Harry hummed, looking up to meet Liam’s eyes to deliver a saucy wink.

“Yes, let us,” he agreed.

“What, I’m not to be an active participant?” Lou twisted around to peer at him, eyebrows raised challengingly.

“Course you are,” Harry said agreeably, biting his lip the way he knew drove her mad. And Liam. Everyone, really. “But you were upset, lovely, we’re meant to cheer you up. Right, Liam?” Liam simply nodded and gave Lou a squeeze. Harry grinned, and with the briefest waggle of eyebrows, surged across Lou to kiss Liam fiercely. “Let’s get on it, then.”

Lou looked unimpressed.

“You are the worst at dirty talk, Harold.”

“Wasn’t going for dirty,” he replied, nipping at Liam once, then twice, before turning to her. “’S serious business.”

“Sexy,” Lou said dryly. 

“Move over.”

Harry nudged a squawking Lou out of Liam’s lap and took her place, climbing over and bracketing him with his thighs. Lou watched as Harry gently slipped his fingers along Liam’s jaw, rasping the tiniest bit over two days’ worth of stubble. They grinned at each other before meeting for another kiss, Liam’s hands snaking behind to pull him closer.

Harry pulled away, sitting back on Liam’s knees as he tugged off his shirt and dropped it carelessly to the side. Liam made an appreciative noise, fingers digging in and drawing Lou’s attention down as Harry’s hips rolled sinuously. Lou’s mouth was dry, yet she remained still as Harry eased Liam out of his tee and leaned to whisper in his ear.

“The two of you… I could take a picture,” she said, breathless, and Harry’s curls bounced as he rested his temple to Liam’s.

“You’re not the photographer,” he chided, eyes glittering.

“No, I—“

“There are enough naked pictures of you on the cloud as it is, Harry,” Liam interrupted.

Harry laughed, full on, with his head thrown back, grasping at Liam’s arm with one hand while the other twisted in his hair.

“True,” he said finally. “Not even naked now, though.”

Lou and Liam smiled together. Harry was subtle as a brick. Lou saw Liam cast her a quick glance, but she ignored him, content to see how things turned out. She curled up around Liam’s pillow, eyes widening as he flicked open the button on Harry’s jeans.

“Shameless,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“You love it,” Harry threw back, arching as Liam peeled him out of the denim to reveal a complete lack of pants.

“Do you even own underwear?” Lou teased.

“Do I, Liam?”

“Don’t care,” he replied before slouching to take Harry into his mouth.

The three of them groaned in unison. Lou clutched the pillow as Liam urged Harry to push deeper. Harry’s thighs twitched and he leaned heavily on his forearm against the wall over Liam’s head. Lou loved to watch the play of muscle in his back and thighs as his hips rolled.

“Don’t come,” Lou said suddenly, startling them both. Harry pulled back, his dick slipping shiny and wet from Liam’s pretty mouth. “Please, I want you to—“

“What?” Harry grunted.

“I want you to _mumblemumble_.”

“ _What?_ ” Liam put in. Lou blushed heavily and pushed onward.

“I want you to come. In me.”

Harry gasped and clamped down hard on the base of his cock, shaking visibly. Liam pinched the tender inside of his thigh, hard.

“ _Ow!_ ” he yelped, rounding on Liam with a frown. “What was that for?”

“Somebody had to,” Liam shrugged.

“But—“ Harry looked conflicted. It was adorable. “We haven’t. Never without—“

“I know,” Lou said, straightening up with resolve. “I want it. I want both of you to—“

Liam whimpered and they cracked, giggling like teenagers. Well, the lads were still teenagers, even if Lou wasn’t quite. She didn’t like to think about it.

Harry stumbled to his feet to wiggle the rest of the way out of his jeans, while Liam shed his joggers with lightning speed. Lou laughed at them both and stood to kick her sandals to Harry’s side of the room. He graciously helped with her top and Liam eased off her shorts.

Lou didn’t have time to feel self-conscious, standing naked in the middle of the room. Liam yanked mattress, bedding, and all onto the floor, and Harry quickly followed suit. They each took her by the hand and eased down into the little nest they created.

Lou lay on her side, facing Harry, who took her face in both hands and kissed her gently. She felt the warmth of Liam’s body at her back before he even touched her, fingers tracing down along her skin in a way that was both ticklish and incredibly hot. She shivered, and Liam palmed her hip, sliding in close along her back so she could feel his erection pressing hot and thick against her.

Lou reached back, her arm slipping under Liam’s to grasp and give him a squeeze. He grunted, and Lou giggled with Harry until his laughter morphed into a low moan. Liam could reach him Harry well enough to give him the same treatment he got from Lou. She thought it was great, and grinned, flicking her wrist til Harry’s brow crinkled.

“What is it?” she whispered. Their faces were so close she could feel her breath wash over him. It was so intimate she felt more than a whisper would ruin it.

“Please, Lou, let me,” he gasped, writhing from Liam’s deft touch. His fingers slipped between her legs to find her slick and ready.

Lou hitched her leg over Harry’s hip and drew him closer, if it was possible. Liam’s hand was trapped between them, and he stilled for a moment until he realized he could help, angling Harry’s cock until the head nudged at her opening.

“Go on,” she nodded, and Harry thrust his hips, slow and deep.

Lou let her head fall back on Liam’s shoulder and he chuckled in her ear.

“I know, right?” She felt his face do something, and knew enough that it meant Liam had winked—tried, at least—at Harry. Couldn’t wink to save his life, that one. But he kept talking. “Feels so good when he’s inside you.” 

Lou shuddered, thinking about the last time, when she had watched Harry fuck Liam on his desk. Not a thing was in its right place when they were done, but nobody cared after she had licked the come off Harry’s and Liam’s abs, and Liam’s thighs. Liam’s fingers slid along the base of Harry’s cock as it plunged into Lou, spreading the slick around as he became wetter and wetter, finally giving him one good squeeze before dipping between Lou’s folds to flick at her clit, making her jump.

“Stop it, Li,” Harry rasped. “Don’t want to come yet. “

“ _I do!_ ” Lou whined, and the lads laughed.

“Course you do, love,” Liam said, lips tickling her ear. “Over and over again, don’t you.”

Harry groaned, digging his nails into Lou’s side. She just dug her heel into the small of his back and laughed.

“Just jealous, you are,” she said, licking at the gleam of sweat on his upper lip.

“Ugh, come here,” Harry rolled his eyes and smirked, then grasped Lou’s thigh and tugged her on top of him.

Riding Harry meant he went deep. His cock was long and thick, and got even longer the harder he got. Lou was always mystified by that, and Liam was impressed. It meant Harry was good for it when they wanted to feel it later, and made it moderately easier to tell when he was getting ready to come.

Lou wriggled, shifting on Harry’s lap so she could really feel how deep he was inside her, with the added bonus of making him crazy. Harry dug his fingers into her thighs and gritted his teeth.

“Still don’t want to come?” she teased, easing up gently before sliding back down. Harry shook his head.

“No. Liam.”

Lou turned to look at Liam, wondering what Harry had in mind. Harry jerked his chin and Liam grinned, closing the distance between them to kiss him hard. Lou loved watching them kiss. Harry had the best mouth. But then she’d look at Liam’s, and when you put them together it was mind blowing. Plus, Harry liked to flash tongue. He was such a dirty fuck.

Lou smiled at them indulgently and leaned down to press a quick kiss on both of them as she circled her hips. They parted when Lou sat back, and Harry looked at her, but spoke to Liam.

“Let’s try something,” he suggested. When Lou didn’t do more than raise her eyebrows briefly, he went on. “Li, go on, get behind Lou.”

Liam turned on his knees to climb around, nudging Harry’s knees together. It forced Lou to tip forward a bit, and she gasped when Liam edged up close to her, his cock bumping up against her bum. She raised her eyebrows much more sharply.

“Oh! So we’re—oh, okay then.” She must have sounded a little frantic because both lads suddenly had their hands on her, rubbing soothing circles on her skin.

“Relax,” Liam said into her ear, kissing her neck and shoulder and back up again. “Not going for your arse.”

Lou giggled and snorted and giggled harder, and she saw the lines of concern disappear from Harry’s face beneath her.

“Been doing some research,” Harry declared, not loosening his grip on her thighs.

“You have, have you?”

“Been watching quite a lot of porn, he has,” Liam put in, snickering and hiding his face in Lou’s hair as Harry batted at him.

“ _Research,_ Liam. Research,” Harry replied haughtily.

“Go on,” Lou prompted. “What was it?”

“Want us both to fuck you at the same time,” Harry said.

“But you just said—“ Lou glanced over her shoulder at Liam. “Wait. Oh. Jesus, feeling confident, aren’t we. That’s like A-level sex right there,” she said, laughing.

“You want to try it?” Harry asked, biting his lip.

“Don’t think I’ve ever said no to you,” Lou replied, leaning down to kiss him again. His smile turned dirty and a thrill ran down her spine.

“Come on then, Liam,” Harry urged, fingertips just barely brushing Liam’s hip. “Fuck us _hard._ ”

“’Us’?”

“Just wait, love,” Harry said, “you’ll see.”

“Hold on,” Liam said abruptly, diving under his bed and scrambling back with a slightly dusty bottle of lube. He wiped it off on the sheets, looking a bit sheepish. “Just in case. Never too much lube.”

“Sure,” Lou said dryly, “considering I’m the one who—“

Liam’s fingers were slippery and cool as they skimmed around the base of Harry’s cock. It made him jerk and giggle, which then got Lou going. It was one of the things Lou like the most about this thing they had: it was fun. They made her laugh, even in the middle of sex, and it seemed like the best thing in the world.  
Then she felt the blunt tip of Liam’s cock up against her.

“Ready?” he breathed into her ear. Lou just nodded, and Liam pushed inside.

It was a tight fit, and all three of them groaned like they were going to die, but if she had to die, Lou thought, this was the way to go. She was going to have a perfect set of fingerprint-shaped bruises at the tops of her thighs from the way Harry held on to her, gasping for breath as he fought to keep control. His abs shook, and his face turned red, and for a moment Lou feared Harry would have an asthma attack.

Luckily, he kept breathing.

Liam’s breath stuttered as he too struggled to adjust. His forehead rested on Lou’s shoulder, and he gripped her hips. Lou focused on them. She knew if she let herself just go, drift with the intensity of it all, she’d probably fly right out of her skin. So she watched Harry breathe, and she listened to Liam, and when Liam slid his hands the barest inch to cover Harry’s with his own, she knew they were ready. Harry confirmed it with a tight nod, and Liam began to move.

It was intense. Harry tried to stay still, and Lou clung to him like a lifeline. There were a few false starts, Liam’s cock slipping out and having to try again, but after a moment he figured out what worked, and it was amazing. Liam’s hips snapped against her, and she knew they were both inside her but couldn’t tell who was who; she felt stretched beyond her limit, but in the best way.

Harry looked wrecked beneath her. He moaned and cried out and writhed, completely failing to lie still and let Liam do the work. His nails left deep crescents in her skin, and Lou imagine she gave as good as she got. Bright scratches trailed across his chest, and when her arms failed, a lurid bite mark bloomed on his shoulder.

Lou was pressed between Harry and Liam, held firmly in place by both of them, yet still rocking with the force of Liam’s thrusts. He sped up when she fell to Harry’s chest, and Lou knew it wouldn’t be long. She could feel the pressure building inside. Harry hit her just right, and Liam’s motion ground her against him.

Lou cried out, so close, and Harry gritted out one coherent word: “harder.”

Liam complied, and Harry almost looked surprised for a moment before he stiffened and came with a deep groan that melted away into a whimper. Lou could feel the pulse of his twitching cock, even more than she usually could, and clearly, so could Liam, if the shocked noise he made was any indication. Lou almost laughed—what did they expect—but then Liam followed Harry over the edge with a vicious thrust that nearly knocked him free.

Liam liked to grind deep as he came, tugging Lou back up and closer to him, his arm around her waist. Harry’s cock slipped out, and already Lou could feel come dripping down her thighs. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back on Liam’s shoulder as he came down. She felt delightfully dirty, and a little sore.  
Harry’s hands were gentle then, soothing the scratches, inspecting for any that had been a little _too_ enthusiastic. There was one little spot on the crest of Lou’s hip that made her hiss when he pressed his thumb to it, but it wasn’t bad. Lou opened her eyes to see him smiling up at her and Liam, his goofy, sated, post-sex grin. He was adorable.

They all three cringed at the nasty squelch that accompanied Liam pulling out. He flopped on his side, and Harry simply rolled his head to give him a lingering kiss. Lou smiled and bent to join them—possibly her favorite thing, the three of them kissing together. But then she slipped her hand between her thighs to feel their come sliding out, and she was distracted.

“Oh, _wow_ ,” Lou gasped. She swirled her fingers through the wetness and held them up. “Look. _Jesus,_ lads. Look what you’ve done. What a proper mess this is.”

Harry looked intrigued, and glanced at Liam before he tugged Lou down between them and replaced her fingers with his own. Lou jerked, a little sensitive, but clenched around his fingers anyway, forcing more come to leak out around him. Harry looked pleased with himself, and dipped his head to lick a broad stripe from where he disappeared inside Lou all the way up to her swollen clit.

Lou whimpered, overstimulated, and nearly fainted when Liam tugged at Harry’s curls to bring him up for a kiss. Harry hummed into it, licking his lips as he pulled back, only to dive down and do the whole thing again. Lou thrashed and cried, ready to come again but not getting enough from Harry’s touch and go.

Liam took pity on her. One last hot, dirty kiss from Harry and he went down on her himself. Harry chuckled throatily, two fingers still stroking her from the inside as he lay and watched her come apart with a smirk on his face. Liam sucked and flicked and licked until Lou squeezed down hard, shaking from the effects of Liam’s mouth and Harry’s fingers.

They kissed again, Harry and Liam. Harry gingerly slipped his fingers from Lou’s body, looked at how they shone and glistened before he popped one in his mouth with a blissful look on his face. He licked it clean and offered the other to Liam, who smiled indulgently and sucked Harry’s finger like it was his cock, down to the little flick of his tongue as he pulled off. Lou shivered, remnant shocks of pleasure still coursing through her.

They lay there then, panting, Lou’s head pillowed on Harry’s belly, Liam sprawled beside her.

“We’ve been talking, me and Harry,” Liam began, sounding like his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Lou smiled faintly, brushing hair back off his forehead as she sat up to fetch the ever-present bottle of water on his desk.

“Shocking,” she replied, “given how you live together and all.” Lou winked at Harry and dropped the bottle for Liam to catch.

“Funny,” Harry said as Liam drained the bottle, “that’s what we were talking about.”

“What, that you live together?” Lou frowned, easing her way back in to her previously occupied location. “Scintillating conversationalists, the both of you.”

Liam scowled a bit, producing a fresh bottle of water from _somewhere_ , that meant Lou needn’t have moved from her comfortable position to begin with. She wrinkled her nose at him and made grabby hands, but Liam reached over her to give the water to Harry, who took it gratefully. Lou made a small noise of protest and Liam pecked a kiss on the tip of her nose.

“We were thinking of getting out of the halls,” Liam went on to explain, rearranging Lou’s limbs so he could cuddle up to Harry as well. She ended up half draped over both of them, her legs dangling over Liam’s hip and Harry’s sternum under her ear. She sighed, sated and content, and _relaxed_ for once, held in place by her boys.

“Leaving me behind already?” Lou wondered, only partly teasing.

“No,” Harry’s voice rumbled through her bones. “We want you to come with us.”

“Aw, lads, I _always_ come with you.” Harry giggled and tweaked her nipple. “Major part of the appeal, I must say,” she went on, smugly satisfied as Liam blushed and squirmed, even as they lay naked and entwined with each other.

“Not what I meant, and you know it,” Harry pointed out.

“We want to let a flat starting this summer,” Liam said, eyes gleaming in the dim light as he looked at Harry. It made Lou go a little soft inside as she watched them together. But then they shifted their gaze to her. “And we’d like you to come with us. To live in the flat,” he added quickly.

Lou lay very still and listened to the rapid beat of Harry’s heart anxiously thumping away into her ear.

“To be perfectly clear,” Harry said slowly and carefully, “we’re asking if you’d care to move in with us, proper. In our own flat, with a bed we don’t have to make up on the floor.”

“Unless—“ Liam glanced away nervously and Harry looked at him in alarm. “Unless you don’t want to, that is.”

“Oh,” Lou breathed out softly. The moment seemed frozen; everyone was perfectly still, waiting upon her next words. It was a lot. She felt hot and cold, everything and nothing all at once. “Of course,” she said finally, calm, as if it wasn’t a big deal, “of course I will. I lo—I’d love to.”

They way Harry and Liam both tugged on her wrenched her back in between them, where she was hugged and cuddled and kissed breathless. Lou laughed at the looks on their faces; the light dancing in Harry’s eyes, Liam’s cheeks flushed pink with pleasure. She loved these boys, both of them. Even if she knew she wasn’t ready to voice that particular notion quite yet, she also knew that they would still be there when she was.

***

Zayn scanned the tight columns of buttons, tiny labels in varying states of legibility next to them. She grinned at Niall, scrunching up her nose and biting her tongue the way everyone knew meant she was really excited. Niall merely chuckled and poked her in the ribs.

“Did you find it?” he asked, nodding at the buzzers.

“There,” Zayn replied, stabbing a button and standing back impatiently. The door beside them clicked, and Niall pulled it open, following Zayn up the stairs.

“How is it that you didn’t help them move?” Niall wondered. “I did. Another set of hands would have been great.”

Zayn glanced over her shoulder.

“I was at my mum’s,” she said testily. “Couldn’t be helped.”

“Sure.”

Zayn tossed her hair over her shoulder and climbed the last few steps. The flat was on the upper floor of the building, which, based on the situation at the door, there were a dozen or more little units smashed in. This close to the university they were likely mostly full of students.

Zayn jumped when a door flung open.

“ _Z!_ ” Lou cheered, throwing her hands up. “Niall! Come in, come in.”

Lou let them in, and Zayn got a good look around. It was cozy, but the tall windows along one side made it seem bigger, less cramped. They had been moved in for hardly a week, but it already seemed lived in. It was probably Lou’s stuff all over the place. Zayn grinned as she noticed Lou’s detritus scattered thoughout.

“So, this is it,” Lou said, hitching one shoulder in a self-deprecating way. _No matter._

“It’s lovely,” Zayn declared, kissing Lou on the cheek sloppily. Lou scoffed and scrubbed it off.

“Where’s the lads?” Niall asked, looking around. Clearly Lou was the only one at home.

“H is at class; Li’s at work.”

Niall nodded sagely, leaning up against the kitchen counter. Zayn tucked herself up under his arm and waggled her eyebrows at Lou.

“How’s married life?” she asked cheekily.

“Shut your mouth!” Lou hissed, “we don’t discuss such things around here.”

Niall rolled his eyes and tugged Zayn closer as she laughed.

“Oh, calm your tits,” Zayn said with a grin. “You know I’m just taking the piss.”

Lou narrowed her eyes menacingly and changed the subject, pulling beers out of the refrigerator. They were saved by the slam of the door. Someone else was home.

Watching Lou as she greeted her lads come home made something tighten in Zayn’s chest. Her face lit up, and she had eyes only for first Harry, then Liam as they made their way into the flat. It was lovely.

“Didn’t expect you both at this hour,” Lou pointed out, though she clearly was not disappointed by the surprise.

“It was slow; they let me out early,” Liam replied. “Met Hazza down the block.”

“Brilliant. Pizza? That was the plan?” Lou confirmed.

Zayn stepped back as Niall bounced over to Liam and Harry. He took his food very seriously, and Zayn felt better left out of the decision making process. Let the lads hash it out.

She caught Lou’s eye and they slipped out of the kitchen to the moderately quieter lounge. Lou flopped on the sofa, grunting when Zayn shoved her over to make room.

“Looks good, love,” Zayn said softly, stroking Lou’s hair.

“It is,” Lou replied with a sigh.

“Ugh, you make me sick,” Zayn laughed, swatting at Lou’s prodding fingers. “We can’t all be as loved up as you.”

Lou cuddled up and lay her head on Zayn’s thigh. It was easier to be petted that way. Zayn smiled at the move—it was definitely one of Harry’s. Habits brushing off on each other already.

“It’s not all tea and cakes, you know,” Lou countered. “Liam is rather fastidious about the loo, and Harry is _always_ leaving a candle burning somewhere. Going to burn the place down, that one.”

“Oh, really?”

“And, you know, if either one trips over my shoes again he’ll probably kill me in my sleep,” Lou added with a snort.

“That I understand completely,” Zayn agreed. Lou got a good pinch in for that one. “So, other than having to deal with the fact that you’re an utter slob, it’s good? You’re all okay here?”

Lou sighed and snuggled up closer.

“Yeah. We’re good.”

***<3***


End file.
